With Pakistan releasing more water into the Indian territory, the villages in Punjab’s border district Ferozepur is facing an imminent flood threat after a major portion of an embankment in Tendiwala village in the catchment area of the Sutlej river was washed away on Sunday.
Following the development, the Ferozepur District Administration has been put on high alert while deploying the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Army teams as a precautionary measure to combat any kind of flood-like situation.
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has asked the Water Resources Department to work out a joint action plan with the Army authorities to strengthen the embankment at Tendiwala village in Ferozepur district on the Indo-Pak border.
Capt Amarinder, presiding over a high-level meeting to review the flood situation in Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Ropar districts, directed the Principal Secretary Water Resources to ensure strengthening of Tendiwala embankment on war-footing to avert the flooding of nearby villages.
He also directed Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner Chander Gaind to keep NDRF teams on standby to meet any exigency arising out of the floods.
Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner said that in 15 flood-affected villages in Makhu and Hussaniwala area, nearly 500 persons had been evacuated to safer places and about 630 persons had been given necessary medical aid.
In addition, nearly 950 food packets had been distributed to the people, and adequate arrangements has been made for supply of feed and fodder to the livestock.
The Deputy Commissioner told the meeting that the strengthening work at Tendiwala village was going on in full swing and the Army was assisting in fixing the rift on the embankment. Capt Amarinder directed the Ferozepur DC to keep a close tab on the ongoing strengthening of work at Tendiwala to ensure its completion at the earliest.
Notably, Pakistan has released water in huge quantity which caused damage to the embankment in Tendiwala village, and there is danger of floods in some villages. On guard, the District Administration has announced evacuation in most sensitive villages along the Sutlej river as a precautionary step besides deploying various teams of the Health Department, Food and Civil Supplies Department and others.
The District Administration has urged the people not to panic while assuring that it was all geared up for the task with relief work at vulnerable points being undertaken at a fast pace.
Already, several villages of Ferozepur remain inundated because of the recent rains and breaches in embankments of the river.
“The entire district machinery is hooked to the task and the line departments are on to the job. Sand filled gunny bags have been stacked in huge quantity and much has been done towards strengthening the embankment, by evening it will be further strengthened,” said a government spokesperson.
It is pertinent to mention that the water first goes to Pakistan from Ferozepur district and then comes back to Ferozepur and this phenomenon takes place multiple times creating a zig-zag movement of the water.
“But Pakistan has released water in huge quantity and this huge amount of water discharged has caused damage to embankments in Tendiwala village, looming danger of floods on various villages,” said the spokesperson.
Ferozepur DC Gaind said that Tendiwala is the last village at Indo-Pak border, where massive discharge has been released from the Pakistan side which has hampered the embankment badly, adding that the water in Satluj river is being discharged from Pakistan side in almost double quantity than it goes into Pakistan from Ferozepur.
“This water contains waste of leader tanneries situated in Pakistan’s Kasoor area causing severe health hazard to the health of people living in these villages,” said Gaind.